


Stay Together for the Kids

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode: s02e07 The Portland Trip, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-12
Updated: 2005-03-12
Packaged: 2019-05-31 04:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15111989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: "So here's your holiday/Hope you enjoy it this time/You gave it all"





	Stay Together for the Kids

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Stay Together for the Kids**

**by: Kasey**

**Character(s):** Leo  
**Pairing(s):** Leo/Jenny  
**Category(s):** Songfic  
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer:** The characters belong to ABS and co, the song to Blink 182.  
**Summary:** "So here's your holiday/Hope you enjoy it this time/You gave it all   
**Spoiler:** Post _Portland Trip_.  


Jenny McGarry - no, scratch that, Jenny O'Brian (It had been a long time since she'd called herself that) sat in the living room, sipping tea and watching television. The house was too damn quiet without the tv...or something, at least. And it was too echoey, too. 

Oh, come now, she chided herself. It wasn't the first morning she'd spent alone in that huge house - she'd spent the past year by herself, save the occasional visits from friends or Mallory... 

So why did it seem like now, all of a sudden, it was so much quieter, so much more empty? 

~~~~~~~~~~

It's hard to wake up  
When the shades have been pulled shut  
This house is haunted  
It's so pathetic  
It makes no sense at all 

I'm ripe with things to say  
The words rot and fall away  
What stupid poem could fix this home?  
I'd read it everyday

~~~~~~~~~~ 

The news flashed on the president in Portland, giving a speech, then returning home until after Thanksgiving, when he would-... 

Thanksgiving? It was Thanksgiving again already? 

Leo hated that he would spend it alone again...He was sure that, once the president and Abbey heard of the papers and the divorce being made final, they'd insist he have dinner with them. 

He'd probably take them up on that - the previous year, his Thanksgiving Dinner had been a turkey tv dinner eaten in his hotel room while watching CNN. 

~~~~~~~~~~

So here's your holiday  
Hope you enjoy it this time  
You gave it all away  
It was mine  
So when you're dead and gone  
Will you remember this night?  
20 years now lost  
It's not right.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

At least Christmas wouldn't be so bad, he thought, flipping absently through a briefing book on something he was sure was probably important. Mallory had already said she'd be joining him for dinner. 

She hated being stuck in the middle. Absolutely hated it. There were times when her father would ask "How's your mom?" and her mother would say "How's your dad doing these days?" 

Every time they asked, Mallory wanted to scream "If you give a damn so much, why don't you call them yourself? Better yet - if you care so much, why not just go out to dinner or something?!" 

She wasn't ten years old - she knew they weren't getting back together. She knew they shouldn't. She absolutely understood why her mother had gotten fed up and left and why her father thought he couldn't do anything to help...But she was so tired of hearing them so upset about it. Ever since he'd gotten sober, her father'd been married to his work, away on lecture series and on... who knew what, even? He was gone and her mother felt like she was widowed. It was time for her to formally move on. 

Truthfully, Mallory was just glad that she was as old as she was, that she wasn't a kid. If she was a kid...the custody battles, trying to use her as a pawn...She'd seen it happen to enough kids she taught...So at least there was some consolation. She could see who she wanted when she wanted, it didn't have to be drawn up specifically by the court. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Their anger hurts my ears  
Been running strong for 7 years  
Rather than fix the problems  
They never solve them  
It makes no sense at all  
I see them every day  
We get along so why can't they?  
If this is what he wants  
And what she wants  
Why is there so much pain?

~~~~~~~~~~ 

It didn't mean she didn't hate it. 

She'd hated every minute of it - the meetings with the lawyers, trying to figure out what she was entitled to and what Leo should keep - Jenny just wanted it over. She wanted it DONE. She wanted to be able to have some sort of...closure? 

But how is there closure when a 30-year marriage comes to an end? A handshake? A hug? A kiss goodbye? Certainly not a bunch of tight-ass lawyers out to try and earn as much as they could. 

Leo had insisted she have the house. He'd always insisted on that. He didn't put up a fight over alimony, he didn't care how much she got out of assets and savings and stock - what did he need money for? Eating in the mess and the occasional new suit. And paying for his lawyer. That was it. There was no custody issue - Mallory was an adult and could do what she wanted - and they both just...hated the cold system of it all. It wasn't THEM...it was two snotty lawyers divvying up everything. 

God, Jenny, he'd thought as he signed the papers. How did it come to this? 

~~~~~~~~~~

So here's your holiday  
Hope you enjoy it this time  
You gave it all away  
It was mine  
So when you're dead and gone  
Will you remember this night?  
20 years now lost  
It's not right...

~~~~~~~~~~ 


End file.
